457 research outputs found

    Recruitment dynamics mediated by ungulate herbivory can affect species coexistence for tree seedling assemblages

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    The best-known mechanism that herbivory affects species coexistence of tree seedlings is negative density-dependency driven by specialist natural enemies. However, in a forest with intense herbivory by non-specialists, what causes a diversifying seedling bank if rare species do not benefit from negative density-dependency in dominant species? We hypothesize that generalist herbivores can cause unevenly distributed species-specific mortality, which mediates recruitment dynamics and therefore affects species coexistence. To answer this question, we conducted a fence-control experiment in a montane cloud forest, Taiwan, and found that herbivorous damages were mainly caused by ungulates, which are generalists. We explored ungulate herbivory effects on recruitment dynamics by censusing tree seedling dynamics for three years. We found that herbivorous damages by ungulates significantly cause seedling death, mostly at their early stage of establishment. The percentage of death caused by herbivory varied among species. In particular, nurse plants and seedling initial height help shade-tolerant species to persist under such intense herbivory. Whereas, deaths caused by other factors occurred more often in older seedlings, with a consistent low percentage among species. We then tested species coexistence maintenance by dynamic modelling under different scenarios of ungulate herbivory. Raising percentages of death by herbivory changes relative species abundances by suppressing light-demanding species and increasing shade-tolerant species. Density-dependent mortality immediately after bursts of recruitments can suppress dominance of abundant species. With ungulate herbivory, fluctuating recruitment further prevent rare species from apparent competition induced by abundant species. Such bio-processes can interact with ungulate herbivory so that long-term coexistence can be facilitated

    Effectiveness of dry needling in patients with knee pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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    Authors: Mr. Johnson C.Y. Pang, Professor Amy S.N. Fu, Dr. Ryan K.L. Lee, Dr. Allan C.L. Fu Corresponding author: Mr. Johnson C.Y. Pang and contact email: jpang@cihe,edu.hk Abstract Objectives To assess the effectiveness of various approaches of dry needling (DN) for patients with knee pain and dysfunction Search strategy Six electronic databases: CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, and PsycINFO were searched in November 2020 (registration number: CRD42021221419). Screening Risk of bias assessment and qualitative analysis were conducted by two independent reviewers using the PEDro scale. Data management and reporting Eight of 14 articles that met the inclusion criteria were high-quality manuscripts based on the PEDro scale. DN demonstrated positive short-term effects (from immediately after DN to <3 months) in pain reduction for both knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) (overall standardized mean difference [SMD]=-1.549, P=0.002). Subgroup analysis, however, revealed only significant improvement in PFPS (SMD=-3.435, P<0.001). At three months post-intervention, DN induced significant pain reduction in both KOA and PFPS (overall SMD=-0.916, P=0.022). Moreover, DN resulted in significant short-term improvement in function (overall SMD=6.069, P<0.001) in both KOA and PFPS. However, only PFPS showed a significant functional improvement in the subgroup analysis (SMD=6.089, P<0.001). At three months post-intervention, DN-induced functional improvement was significant in both groups (overall SMD=5.840, P<0.001), although only PFPS showed a significant improvement in the sub-group analysis (SMD=5.694, P=0.002). The outcomes of ultrasound (US)-guided DN on patients with knee pain are still unknown. Conclusion DN provides short-term benefits with respect to reducing pain and dysfunction for patients presenting with knee pain due to PFPS, but not KOA. Future research on US-guided DN for the treatment of knee pain is highly recommended

    Effectiveness of dry needling in patients with knee pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    No full text
    Authors: Mr. Johnson C.Y. Pang, Professor Amy S.N. Fu, Dr. Ryan K.L. Lee, Dr. Allan C.L. Fu Corresponding author: Mr. Johnson C.Y. Pang and contact email: jpang@cihe,edu.hk Abstract Objectives To assess the effectiveness of various approaches of dry needling (DN) for patients with knee pain and dysfunction Search strategy Six electronic databases: CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, and PsycINFO were searched in November 2020 (registration number: CRD42021221419). Screening Risk of bias assessment and qualitative analysis were conducted by two independent reviewers using the PEDro scale. Data management and reporting Eight of 14 articles that met the inclusion criteria were high-quality manuscripts based on the PEDro scale. DN demonstrated positive short-term effects (from immediately after DN to <3 months) in pain reduction for both knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) (overall standardized mean difference [SMD]=-1.549, P=0.002). Subgroup analysis, however, revealed only significant improvement in PFPS (SMD=-3.435, P<0.001). At three months post-intervention, DN induced significant pain reduction in both KOA and PFPS (overall SMD=-0.916, P=0.022). Moreover, DN resulted in significant short-term improvement in function (overall SMD=6.069, P<0.001) in both KOA and PFPS. However, only PFPS showed a significant functional improvement in the subgroup analysis (SMD=6.089, P<0.001). At three months post-intervention, DN-induced functional improvement was significant in both groups (overall SMD=5.840, P<0.001), although only PFPS showed a significant improvement in the sub-group analysis (SMD=5.694, P=0.002). The outcomes of ultrasound (US)-guided DN on patients with knee pain are still unknown. Conclusion DN provides short-term benefits with respect to reducing pain and dysfunction for patients presenting with knee pain due to PFPS, but not KOA. Future research on US-guided DN for the treatment of knee pain is highly recommended

    Effectiveness of dry needling in patients with knee pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    No full text
    Authors: Mr. Johnson C.Y. Pang, Professor Amy S.N. Fu, Dr. Ryan K.L. Lee, Dr. Allan C.L. Fu Corresponding author: Mr. Johnson C.Y. Pang and contact email: jpang@cihe,edu.hk Abstract Objectives To assess the effectiveness of various approaches of dry needling (DN) for patients with knee pain and dysfunction Search strategy Six electronic databases: CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, and PsycINFO were searched in November 2020 (registration number: CRD42021221419). Screening Risk of bias assessment and qualitative analysis were conducted by two independent reviewers using the PEDro scale. Data management and reporting Eight of 14 articles that met the inclusion criteria were high-quality manuscripts based on the PEDro scale. DN demonstrated positive short-term effects (from immediately after DN to <3 months) in pain reduction for both knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) (overall standardized mean difference [SMD]=-1.549, P=0.002). Subgroup analysis, however, revealed only significant improvement in PFPS (SMD=-3.435, P<0.001). At three months post-intervention, DN induced significant pain reduction in both KOA and PFPS (overall SMD=-0.916, P=0.022). Moreover, DN resulted in significant short-term improvement in function (overall SMD=6.069, P<0.001) in both KOA and PFPS. However, only PFPS showed a significant functional improvement in the subgroup analysis (SMD=6.089, P<0.001). At three months post-intervention, DN-induced functional improvement was significant in both groups (overall SMD=5.840, P<0.001), although only PFPS showed a significant improvement in the sub-group analysis (SMD=5.694, P=0.002). The outcomes of ultrasound (US)-guided DN on patients with knee pain are still unknown. Conclusion DN provides short-term benefits with respect to reducing pain and dysfunction for patients presenting with knee pain due to PFPS, but not KOA. Future research on US-guided DN for the treatment of knee pain is highly recommended

    A Study on Ueda-akinari's Adapting Technique and Discriminatory Attitude Against Confucianism-Buddhism in Siramine

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    日本志怪小說的傑作《雨月物語》,為江戶文?巨擎上田秋成以「翻案」(仿作)中日古典文學的手法寫成。本論文是以《雨月物語》的首篇作品〈白峰〉為探討對象。 〈白峰〉的內容是描述被迫遜位的悲劇天子崇德上黃化為厲鬼出現於原本武士後來出家的西行法師面前,為了將自己生前發動的叛亂事件正當化,針對儒家的禪讓‧篡位思想,和西行法師在黑夜的深山裏進行辯論的故事。根據兩人辯論的內容,學者之間傾向於將本篇視為日本「國學者」上田秋成的排儒黜佛論。 本論文首先比較〈白峰〉及其典據,繼之闡述作品主題,探討了一般所謂的秋成的排儒黜佛論,並提示不同的觀點。This dissertation is to discuss the first chapter of Ugetsu-monogatari, one of Ueda-akinari’s outstanding collections of eweird and mysterious stories in japan. Ugetsu-monogatari consists of nine stories, and the first story is Siramine. It tells the tragic story of Sutokku- joko, an emperor forced to abdicate, whose malicious spirit argues with Saigyo-hosi about “usurping the thoughts of Confucianism, in order to legitimate the rebellion he arose when alive. According to the content of their debate, most scholars tend to regard this story as Ueda-akinari’s discriminatory attitude against Confucianism-Buddhism; the author will discuss this unfriendly criticism in this chapter. In this dissertation , the author first compares Siramine with its originals, discusses its main points, the so-called discriminatory attitude against Confucianism-Buddhism, and gives hints of opposite viewpoints

    The comparative study of Taiwanese police system in the transition from 19th to 20th century.

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    There are two goals in the study: one is to understand the police function and the establishment of Taiwan modern police system from the viewpoint of history; the other is to understand the background of Taiwan police system during Japanese colonial era and to discuss its advantages and disadvantages so that we can understand the general situation of Taiwan police system after the World War \ue2\ua1 and examine its development. With the establishment of Taiwan police system, the study is to compare the establishment and development of Taiwan police system during Japanese colonial era with those during Kuomintang authoritarian era by studying the development traces of Taiwan\ue2s political and social changes. Also, the study adopts literature research and comparison analysis, which extensively collects relevant information about Taiwan\ue2s police system during Japanese colonial era and during Kuomintang authoritarian era. The study mainly compares Taiwan\ue2s police system during Japanese colonial era and Kuomintang authoritarian era, which features police organization, personnel, education and training, duty exercise, function as well as the relations between the police and the military. The study discovers that the role of the police is to enforce the internal pacification no matter when they were in Japanese colonial era or in Kuomintang authoritarian era. Moreover, speaking of the relations between the police and the military, Taiwan police played an important role of keeping law and order in Japanese colonial era and their duties were different from the military. By contrast, the multiple commands influenced the police administration caused by the mechanism of \ue2the military leading the police\ue2 under the martial law system during Kuomintang authoritarian era, which made the police become inferior role. The police not only became political tool, but their complicated duties also caused confusion between the police and the military

    Crossing between the Immortal World and the Mortal World in the Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio: Reflection on the Return of Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao and Investigation into Sentiments and the Dao

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    《聊齋誌異》多篇揭現對仙境的營塑及探求,雜糅神話思維、宗教情操、故實承衍、倫理關懷、生命叩問及美學呈現,在在展呈蒲松齡對超拔凡俗、修行得道的壯闊想像及深切嚮往,也揭現蒲松齡對生命歸趨的多向探索,涵括情緣繫念、事親盡孝、宗嗣傳承、功名舉業及仙凡兩難的價值抉擇。本文析論《聊齋》所揭仙鄉∕人境流轉往復的動態進程,除了提挈六朝「劉、阮模式」的多樣演繹,更進而探究情緣、道念如何相持與相拒?如何超越世網纏縛,思辨功名的執守與捨離?乃至生命如何流通、重探自我?藉由仙凡兩端的迂迴辯證及仙凡異境的互融互攝,以彰明其周折婉曲之處所寄寓的人性底蘊及多重啟悟。Many tales in the Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio involve portraits and explorations of the immortal world, where myths, religions, legends, ethics, self-reflections and aesthetics are neatly interwoven. All these themes reveal the author Pu Song-Ling’s imagination, his craving for immortality and the Dao, and his multi-faceted inquiries of life, including love, filial piety, succession of heirs, pursuit of fame and honor, and the dilemma of choosing between immortality and mortality. The present paper is intended to analyze the incessant journeys between the immortal world and the mortal world in the Strange Stories. Employing the Liu-Ruan model of the Six Dynasties, the paper investigates how one deals with his/her sentiments and thoughts of the Dao, how he/she transcends the boundary of the mundane life and contemplates whether to grasp or abandon fame and honor, and how his/her life evolves and explores itself. Through the reciprocal relationship between the immortal world and the mortal world, the Strange Stories sheds light on human nature and realization
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